


A Pink Scallop

by Honey_and_Chocolate



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eren has nape-length hair like at the end of season 3, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, Human Eren, I'm hoping for this to turn out cute, I'm kinda getting obsessed with seashells I think, Long-Haired Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), M/M, Mermaid Isabel, Miscommunication, Or should I say hardly any communication, Pining Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Seashells, There's a language of seashells for merpeople like the language of flowers for humans, ereri, mermaid au, merman farlan, merman levi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26441425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honey_and_Chocolate/pseuds/Honey_and_Chocolate
Summary: Eren is human. Levi is a merman who never felt attracted towards other mermaids or mermen but then finds himself falling for the human. So how does he makes his human aware of his feelings? By throwing seashells that have deeper meanings at his human, of course. But like hell Eren would understand the meanings as he's not familiar with the language of shells or the merfolk's courting customs.Alternatively titled: Miscommunication At Its Finest.
Relationships: Levi/Eren Yeager
Comments: 38
Kudos: 161





	1. Pink Scallop: I'd like to court you

**Author's Note:**

> So I don't know what happened but after writing 'Just Wait A Little Longer' I've kinda become obsessed with seashells and then one day I thought 'what if like mermaids had a language of seashells like we have language of flowers and they'd give each other beautiful shells to confess their feelings'. So now here I am with a Mermaid AU and a pining Levi instead of updating my other Ereri Tangled fic. Hope you guys like it.
> 
> Enjoy your reading~

A head poked out of the water and peeked from behind a rock. Blue-grey eyes scanned the surroundings, long wet strands of raven hair sticking to the bare skin. Most of the body still hidden behind the rock and in the water, the figure looked around as if searching for something.

More like _someone_.

Nape-length brown hair tied back with random strands falling in front of his face, the man made his way out of his house for a walk on the beach as was his routine in the evenings. The raven looked at the man’s lower body and to his legs, watching intently as they carried the weight of this man effortlessly as he walked.

Ducking down behind the rock again, the raven brushed his wet locks away from his face as he bit his bottom lip and pulled his lower body above the water. Only to be met with different beautiful shades of shiny blue scales decorated with white and pink pearls and the almost see-through tail fins. Not for the first time he wondered how he was so different from the creature currently walking through the sand and nearing the sea.

It wasn’t just the tail that made him different from the human though. His skin randomly littered with the same blue scales, his sharp claws, his blue pointed fin ears, the same blue fins on his forearms, the gills under his ribs and his sharp teeth. Mostly a fish but also human-like, living into the deep blue sea, far away from the eyes of anyone living on land.

And yet here he was, risking his life to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous human who was far out of his reach, on land. Beautiful even without the accessories made of pearls and shells adorning his neck and wrists and waist and hair, unlike the raven and the others like him. And still this man managed to pique his interest when there were many others like himself in the ocean, fighting for his attention.

How come this man who didn’t even have a tail charmed him when the many mermen and mermaids with beautiful scales failed to? And now how was he supposed to tell that to the human when the man knew nothing about the merfolk’s courting?

The universe was so not fair.

_

Levi twirled his tail as he swam away from the red-head mermaid currently chasing after him. The pearls decorating his blue tail glimmered as he swam above where the sunlight still penetrated the water. Little multicolored fish swam by him as he tried to get away from the mermaid.

A tug on his tail and he huffed out a small laugh, knowing their little game was over as he felt himself being pulled down. He looked down and grinned at the irritated expression on his friend’s face, her face as red in anger as her hair and tail and those vibrant green eyes glaring up at him. He ruffled the back of her head, messing her pigtails and she swatted his hand away with a pout on her face.

He chuckled at her as he shook his head, his waist-length raven hair tied up in a ponytail moving along in the water with the motion. “Alright, take it back. I was just teasing,” he said as he handed her a pink scallop shell. She snatched it back immediately and held it close to her like it was the most precious thing in the world. And maybe it was. Levi wouldn’t know, he was offered those shells way too often but never got them from someone he actually liked.

A [pink scallop shell](https://pin.it/A6jcW19). A mermaid or merman received one from someone who wanted to court them and accepting it meant they agreed to the courting and accepted the other’s feelings and reciprocated them. Many cherished their shell as a reminder of the day when their love had started blossoming. In every couple he’d seen one had given the other a pink scallop at some point of their life which the other made into jewellery to wear and have it on them at all times or was kept safe with them like a priced possession. No one had more than one shell; if the courting failed the shell was broken into pieces. He watched as Isabel put her shell in her hair like he’d seen many others do.

Right, Isabel had agreed to courting the merman she’d loved ever since she was a young mermaid. And yesterday that merman had finally asked her if she would like to court him with a pink scallop as was the merpeople’s courting tradition.

Levi was happy for her. Isabel and Farlan looked good together and he was getting tired of their mutual pining for each other. When Isabel had told him the big news he was tempted to exclaim “Finally! About time” but her overjoyed expression stopped him. She’d dreamt of this moment since she first realized her feelings for Farlan and Levi wasn’t going to ruin it for her. He did snatch her shell though, when she’d eventually stopped talking about Farlan and instead started daydreaming about him. He could only stand so much of her lovey-dovey words, after all.

Or maybe jealousy had played a part in it too. The desire to someday accept a pink scallop offered to him too, and from someone he actually liked and wanted to court. He was still waiting for the moment when he’d look at an offered pink scallop shell and without thinking his immediate response on the tip of his tongue would be ‘yes!’ and not ‘I’m sorry but I’m not interested’.

“I’m happy for you,” Levi said as if reminding himself that he should share in his friend’s joy and not just think about himself. He couldn’t be jealous of his best friend for finally courting someone she’d loved most of her life from afar.

Isabel’s face brightened at his words and broke into a happy smile and Levi felt all the more bad for getting jealous of her. “I’m sure one day you’ll be offered a pink scallop too.”

“I get offered pink scallops all the time and you’re often with me when it happens.”

“I’m sure one day you’ll be offered a pink scallop too from someone you actually like and accept it,” Isabel corrected herself, the smile never leaving her face.

Levi didn’t say anything. No one’s tail ever interested him. Sure they were all beautiful and shiny and unique but he just never felt attracted to one. Never felt like imagining how beautiful his and his mate’s tail would look dancing and twirling with each other. Never felt like imagining how their tails would complement each other or how they’d stand out but still look good together. Never felt like imagining how his mate would wrap their tail around him to embrace him.

Tails just weren’t… that interesting. At least to him and at least the ones he’d seen so far. He saw mermaids and mermen getting infatuated with their potential mates’ tails every day. Many were even attracted to his tail. He never understood what was so great about his tail but many wanted to court him. He never saw anyone as a potential mate though. Maybe he was abnormal and that’s why he didn’t feel attracted to anyone’s tail.

“Hey, don’t make that face,” Isabel’s sharp voice put a halt to his thoughts. She was looking at him like she knew exactly what he was thinking about with her brows furrowed and eyes narrowed at him as if scolding him. She was the only one he’d told about not being attracted to anyone’s tail. She didn’t quite understand it because she’d never heard of something like that before but was still supportive.

Isabel’s face and voice softened as she continued, “I know what you’re thinking about. But you have to know that you’re not abnormal for not feeling anything by just looking at someone’s tail. Maybe it’s different for you for some reason or the one you’re meant to be with has not yet entered your life.”

Yes, he knew that, he sometimes even believed that. But even he was getting tired of rejecting everyone who tried to court him. And to be honest, he was getting tired of waiting for the moment when he’d look at someone and think of them as a potential mate. He was tired of feeling lonely.

At times like that, he considered accepting the next pink scallop offered to him. Maybe he’d eventually start thinking of his suitor as a potential mate after getting to know them. But then the next pink scallop would be offered to him and all he’d be able to think about was how he didn’t find their tail attractive. And then he’d return to his lonely life, longing for the one who’d make him happy and feel loved.

But Levi didn’t tell Isabel all that. He didn’t want to dampen her good mood than he’d already had. So he managed a small reassuring smile as he ruffled her hair again, mindful of the pink shell in it.

“I know, I get it. No need to give me that look now.”

She saw right through him. Of course, she saw right through him, she wasn’t his best friend for nothing. But bless her soul, she knew not to push him to share his thoughts; she had enough experience to know how that would end. So she returned his smile and this time she didn’t swat his hand away. And just like that, no more words were required.

Somewhere in his mind Levi wondered, if he’d ever find a mate, would their relationship be this strong and understanding or much stronger than what he and Isabel had?

Levi looked at Isabel and said, “I think I will go up for a while. To just look at the sky in peace and quiet.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go up with you? What if someone saw you and you got in danger?” Isabel asked worriedly.

“Iz, the sun’s probably setting by now and you know not many humans wander near the beach, especially not at this time. I’ll be fine and I think I’d prefer to be alone for a while.”

“If that’s what you want. But just know that I’m always here for you.”

This time, his smile was more genuine. “I know.”

Levi swam up as Isabel left, his tail cutting through the water faster and faster the closer he got to the surface. Without thinking, he reached his hand out above him, as if to capture the last rays of the sun that danced in the water. His hand didn’t capture anything though but broke through the surface of the water. Then his head was out too along with his upper body and he suddenly got conscious of his breathing as he used his lungs instead of his gills.

His hair was stuck to his back and shoulders and face and he moved the strands out of his face to look up above at the sky filled with blue and pink and purple and orange colors. He looked at the red and orange sun to find that he was right about the time and that it was setting. His pointy fin ears twitched happily at the beautiful sight making him forget about his conversation with Isabel earlier.

Levi felt so at peace by just looking at the setting sun and the orange and pink clouds. It was even more beautiful with the distant sound of waves crashing. Watching the sunset with Isabel was fun, but watching it alone while at peace was something else entirely. No negative thoughts or worries of never finding a mate. Just blank.

The sound of water and then someone gasping brought him out of the trance the scenery had put him into and back to the reality. Panicking, he ducked behind the large rock behind him, pressing his back into it as he tried to think who it could be. He peeked from behind the rock, hand going to the dagger made from a long bone that was hidden in his ponytail. Only for his breath to get caught in his throat at what he saw.

There, in the shallow water, was a merman, brushing his nape-length brown hair away from his face. His whole body seemed to glow golden as the evening sun rays fell on him. He could see that the merman was very beautiful and well-built and bigger than him. The way the water droplets dripped down his chest and forearms made him bite his lower lip and he realized with a start what he was doing.

He was… enjoying the view. He was admiring this merman and shamelessly ogling him. He was… attracted to this merman. That thought alone made him so happy. He was not abnormal, he could feel attracted to others like him and he could see them as potential mates.

His face broke out into a wide grin as he watched the merman nearing the beach. Only for the grin to slowly fade and his thin brows to furrow in confusion the more he watched the merman slowly getting out of the water. His eyes almost came out of their sockets when the merman was fully out of the water.

No, not a merman. A human.

This was a man with legs instead of a beautiful and shiny tail. And then suddenly it made sense why the man didn’t have sharp claws or pointed fin ears or random scales on his skin. As Levi watched the man make his way on to land and towards a house a little far from the sea with two long legs fully supporting his weight, he found that there was still one thing that did not make any sense.

He still felt attracted towards the human.

_

That was when it all had started. After that day, Levi found himself behind the same rock every evening to catch a glimpse of the human who’d unknowingly made him fall for him. And every time he was reminded of how they were so different from each other. But Levi never wished he’d never seen this man. Because even though the human had no idea about it and even Levi was just barely aware of it, he’d grown attached to this human and had started caring for him even though they’d never talked and Levi didn’t know much about him other than the fact that his human could swim.

Levi peeked from behind the rock again to see his human looking at the ocean while standing near the water. The breeze blew his hair in every direction but he didn’t seem to care about it, he just continued to look at the sea and the setting sun like it was the most beautiful and mesmerizing thing he’d ever seen.

Levi longed for his human to look at him like that.

Shaking the thought away he internally scolded himself. He couldn’t reveal himself to humans; they would never let his kind live in peace if he did. And he had no idea what his human was like. For all he knew he could be just like the other humans who were selfish and greedy. What was he thinking?

He sunk into the water and started swimming away from his human, trying to convince himself that watching him from afar every evening like he’d done the past few weeks was enough. He failed miserably as he felt the longing to hold his human close to him.

He usually lied easily but he was really bad at lying to himself.


	2. Black Murex: You've Enchanted Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet. Kind of sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy your reading~

Levi on sat on a rock, listening to his friend go on and on about her time with Farlan. A few fish tickled his tail as he lazily twirled it around and changed his position from time-to-time. Isabel, who had been sitting on a rock opposite to him, had now started swimming back and forth in front of him in her excitement, doing hand gestures and everything as she talked.

Levi should be happy for her. No, he was happy for her. But – she was just so excited she’d completely forgotten that he could not relate to her. Could not relate to feeling like he was on top of the world when he was with his lover. Could not relate to being given gifts and loved and treated like royalty. Could not relate to wanting to kiss and be in the arms of his lover.

But he was Isabel’s best friend. If not him then to whom was she going to gush about her suitor and how perfect and respectful and understanding he was?

So here he was, deep into the sea, trying to be the supportive and encouraging friend for Isabel’s sake even though he had half a mind to just up and leave. But no, he reminded himself, he was a good friend and a good friend is always there for their friends no matter if they’re upset, troubled, ecstatic or excited or in love.

And so like the good friend he was, he would be there for Isabel because she would do the same for him, he told his jealousy.

“He’s so sweet, you know. The other day I had told him during a casual conversation that my favorite bracelet broke and when I met him yesterday, he gave me this!” Isabel exclaimed as she suddenly whirled around to him making the water swish and swirl around her and held her wrist up with a huge grin on her face. There, on her wrist and on the stunning red scales on her skin, was a beautiful bracelet made of pink pearls and very small shells. It looked really good on her and Levi could see Farlan had tried really hard to make it.

Isabel held the bracelet close to her as she continued, “He actually listened to what I was saying, Levi. He payed attention to my nonsense rambling! He’s perfect, Levi, I think I fell in love with him all over again. I truly believe he’s _the_ _one_ for me.”

Levi perked up at that, “Wait – you mean to say you are considering spending the next mating season with him?”

Isabel blushed redder than the color of her tail but still nodded shyly.

Mating seasons were for those mer that had found the one they wanted to spend their life with. Other mer who were not old enough or didn’t find their mate weren’t affected by the mating season, neither were those who had already mated. Most mer who mated almost always ended up successfully impregnating their partner either it be a merman or a mermaid. Due to the merfolk’s very little population and inability to lay more than one egg at a time, gender didn’t matter when it came to mating. Everyone was able to carry an egg if they wanted it with their mate.

Levi remembered watching mer-couples going away from their homes and towards sand where no humans or predators could harm their eggs. He never visited the place, not even out of curiosity. There was an unspoken rule that mer who didn’t have a mate were not allowed to go there. So he always watched them leaving the waters to lay their eggs and then returning back with little mer-hatchlings with their cute little tails and much softer than an adult mer’s scales.

To hear that Isabel was already ready to mate with Farlan the next mating season… Levi didn’t know what to think. She really loved Farlan so much, had found her mate in him whom she wanted to be with for the rest of her life and raise her kids with.

She had found her happiness.

Levi wondered if he’d ever be ready to mate someone. With the way things were going, probably not. Not to mention he was smitten with a human who had no idea about his existence. Longing for his human’s affection and love that he knew would never be directed towards him. His human probably was with someone else. Levi didn’t think his human would have any trouble finding another human he wanted to court and mate with.

“Hey, what’s with that face?” Isabel’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. She was looking at him worried but there was also uncertainty and hurt in her features. “I swear I am ready, Levi. I had thought so much about this before coming to this decision.”

Levi realized with a start that she thought he was doubting her decision. “No! No, no, it’s not that. I didn’t think that you are not ready. I know a mer only gets the urge to mate when they are certain they’ve found the one made for them. I do not doubt you.”

“Then why did you look like that?” Her eyes then widened in realisation and horror. “Oh my-! Levi, did I make you feel lonely with the way I was talking? I’m so sorry! I was just so excited that I didn’t think about how you must be feeling. I’m such a bad friend, I’m so-“

Levi swam towards her and grabbed her shoulders making her halt in her apologies and look up at him. “Iz, no, you did not make me feel lonely or hurt me with the way you talked about your true love.” Lies. “In fact, I am very happy that you know Farlan’s the one for you and you want to mate with him.” That’s true. “Just imagine your kids calling me ‘Uncle Levi’. Tell me I’m going to be their uncle, right?”

Isabel giggled at him and Levi was relieved he was able to take her mind off of what was going on in his mind. “You will be their Godfather, silly.”

Wait – he did not expect that.

She laughed at his face as she lightly slapped his cheek. “What? If I want to be the Godmother of your kids then I gotta make you the Godfather of mine. It’s a simple deal.”

Levi was still dumbfounded, “You have… thought quite ahead, haven’t you?”

“Mmhmm. Now, you tell me what’s bothering you and don’t try to avoid the subject by distracting me this time. Or I would just take the title of ‘Uncle Levi’ away from you.” Sly little shit that she was, Levi wasn’t even surprised.

But – should he tell her? About his human? She hadn’t been able to accompany him up to the surface to watch the sunset anymore now that she was courting Farlan and Levi was kind of glad by her absence. That meant more time to watch his human from afar without getting interrupted or interrogated or teased.

But that also meant she didn’t know about his attraction towards a human. What if she thought of him as a freak after he told her that? What if she wouldn’t look at him the same ever again after that? Or worse, what if she got angry that he’d even considered thinking about a human like that and forbade him from ever going to see his human again? Humans were selfish, greedy and cruel after all. They would not think twice before hunting the merfolk if they knew about their existence.

Levi won’t be able to deal with that. His poor smitten heart would be crushed into tiny-tiny pieces if he was not allowed to see his human ever again. This was the first time he’d ever felt like that towards anyone and cared for someone to this extent. He didn’t want to let go of that feeling when he’d wished for someday to feel this way towards someone.

Levi _would_ _not_ be able to deal with never seeing his human ever again.

So he put as reassuring a smile as he could and didn’t tell Isabel anything. He was already battling his own emotions; he didn’t want to fight Isabel too, especially when she was so happy because she’d decided to mate with Farlan.

He would hide his human from everyone for as long as he could so he won’t lose him.

“Nothing’s wrong. I just want to experience the same things as you someday too, you know. Wonder when that day would come?”

Isabel stroked his cheek lovingly with a clawed hand, a soft expression on her face. “I am sure that day would come soon and you’d find your mate too. You just have to be positive and keep looking. Who knows, maybe they are waiting for you just like you are waiting for them and hasn’t yet found you?”

Sometimes Levi wondered how in the dark waters he had managed to befriend Isabel. This was one of those times.

Maybe she was his mother instead of best friend; always worrying about him and trying to cheer him up and being optimistic on his behalf. Maybe he should think of his future nephew or niece as a sibling if that’s the case.

“You gonna go up?” Isabel asked changing the subject.

“Yeah. You coming?” Levi knew the answer but still he asked.

With the way her face turned apologetic, he knew what she was going to say. “I’m sorry, I know I haven’t been accompanying you up to the surface and not spending as much time with you like I used to. And I really feel bad about that, but I just – can’t today. Maybe some other time?”

“I’m not mad nor am I upset, Iz. Some other time,” Levi agreed as he ruffled her pigtails instead of her bangs because of the pink scallop shell in her hair and swam out of her reach before she could get him for that.

He laughed at her pouty face as he swam up and up, chasing the last rays of the sun dancing on the surface of the water.

_

Levi emerged out of the water and breathed through his lungs, feeling them filling up with air and then relaxing as he slowly exhaled. He moved the long wet strands of hair away from his face as he looked up at the setting sun and the colorful sky.

He felt the breeze blowing past him, nuzzling his wet face and arms and making him shiver. Funny how the cold water of the ocean was nothing to him and a slight breeze made him shiver and move his arms closer to himself. Well, at least to the human parts of him; the scales on his tail were pretty tough and resistant to any type of wind or temperature.

Levi wanted to turn around and look for his human, feeling a strange kind of pull he felt every time he came above. The pull made him search for his human and get closer to him. He had kind of gotten used to it at this point and decided to ignore it in the favor of something else.

Somewhere on his way up to the surface, he’d found [a black murex shell](https://pin.it/2nYNHMX). He took his other hand out of the water that clutched the shell in sharp claws and examined it.

How fitting its meaning was to his situation. Enchantment.

Yes, he was enchanted by his human. He didn’t know if humans possessed magic and witchcraft or not, but he did feel like he was under a spell his human had put on him that always made him want to see him, to come closer to him, to pull him towards his human. If only he could get closer to his human…

He sighed and looked down at the shell, turning it around and inspecting it when he heard a sound behind him, something between a gasp and a breath hitching.

Levi’s eyes widened in horror and all he could think was oh no, someone was behind him, someone had found him, he was screwed. He was tempted to take out his dagger from where it was tied around his waist.

But somehow he found himself slowly, ever so slowly, turning around and… oh. There he was, his human, standing on the stand wide-eyed and open-mouthed in shock and _he was so fucking close to where Levi was, what to do, what to do?!_

Panicked, Levi did the next best thing than taking out his dagger. He threw the black murex shell right at his human…

Hitting him directly on the nose.

And before his human had time to compose himself and register the pain or notice the blood flowing out of his nose, Levi swam away as fast as his tail would take him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Way to go, Levi. *Sighs* Every damn fic that's how you end up greeting Eren for the first time, don't you?
> 
> I don't know if I want to go the egg-preg route or not with this, but I just kept the idea and possibility open if I decide to add egg-preg. But if you guys are interested in it then I will definetely go that route, just not sure if I would write smut or not.


	3. Shark's Eye: My Eyes are Only on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi (breaking seaweed into tiny pieces): "He knows what I am. He does not. He does. He does not."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy your reading~

It’s been three days.

Three days since Levi had touched the surface of the water. Three days since Isabel had told him about her decision of mating with Farlan the next mating season. Three days since he’d found a black murex shell.

…Three days since he’d thrown the black murex shell at his human and possibly broke his nose.

Three days since he’d seen his human. Three days since his existence was almost exposed. Three days since the merfolk were almost found out.

Three days since he’d seen the sunset.

And during all those three days, Levi had spent his time overthinking and creating wild scenarios. He just couldn’t help it. What if his human had seen what Levi was? What if he hadn’t seen anything? Most of Levi’s lower body was still underwater so maybe he hadn’t seen. But what if he’d seen Levi’s fin ears or the scales on his skin or his sharp claws?

What if his human had seen that he was a mer and had told others? Oh God, what would he do then? But then, it _has_ been three days and there still weren’t any human activities happening nor were the merfolk being hunted. But what if the humans were planning something big, like catching all the mers all at once? They’d need more time to prepare to do that.

Three days later and maybe the intensity of those thoughts had lessened but Levi’s mind still spiraled down the whirlpool of dark and horrifying scenarios whenever he thought about it. On top of that, he had no way of knowing if his human had really seen what he was without actually exposing himself. Which – if his human really hadn’t seen what he was – would be utterly stupid of Levi and he’d be forever embarrassed of himself for it.

On the fourth day though, there was a change. Levi had finally exhausted his capacity of thinking up horrifying scenarios in which the merfolk always ended up either captured or extinct (killed) and the first thing he thought of when he woke up the next day was: he had fucking thrown a fist-sized seashell at his human’s face.

And his human’s nose had been bleeding after that.

Now, don’t get him wrong, he always did things after thinking them through and rarely made rash decisions. Most of the times those rash decisions had even worked in his favor. But this… Levi had no idea why he’d done that. No, he did know why he’d done that; he was panicking. But still… he’d hit his human and made him bleed. When they’d kind of met for the first time too.

Levi had decided on the fourth day that he was going to mark that god-awful day his human had seen him as the most embarrassing day of his life. Nothing could top that.

And so he’d begun his day like that. And now somehow he had found himself staring down at an offered pink scallop. The goddamned fucking shell just never left him alone, did it?

This time, it was a mermaid who’d asked to court him. It wasn’t that often mermaids offered him a pink scallop. Mostly, there were mermen trying to woo him by showing off their strength. Levi couldn’t care less about them. But after five or so mermen there was a mermaid and like a breath of fresh air he took only after going above the surface, Levi welcomed them although he had no interest in them. But a change was always welcomed after repeating the same thing over and over again.

Mermaids, mostly, were not like mermen. Most of them were shy and sweet, very rarely were they pushy or rude. This one was the former. She had short-length red hair, warm golden eyes and a stunning grey-blue tail. Her body was decorated with small seashells; be it her necklace, bracelets or the ornaments on her tail, they were all made of seashells. Maybe she was too scared to go ‘pearl hunting’, as Levi and Isabel liked to call it. But she still looked beautiful without any pearls adorning her and if Levi had been interested in her, he’d have gladly gone pearl hunting for her.

But as it was, he wasn’t interested, and the mermaid didn’t look like she had any interests in pearls either if she hadn’t even tried going to hunt for some. Showed how little she cared about physical appearance and beauty to attract a mate to her. Levi could relate but he still liked to look nice and decorate himself just because it was fun.

So he very gently, after thoroughly explaining why – he had learned to do that from experience – rejected her shell and in turn her.

Levi couldn’t put into words how relieved he’d felt when, even though she was hurt and disappointed, the mermaid had nodded her head and told him she respected his decision and understood where he was coming from. There was no use in pushing it when Levi didn’t even feel _something_ after seeing her tail. Levi could’ve hugged her right there and then but sadly, he didn’t really know her, nor was he a fan of physical contact with someone he wasn’t close with. So a grateful smile and a thank you for understanding was all the mermaid got from him before she swam away.

And oh, how Levi felt bad for her when she swam away with her shoulders slumped and her tail occasionally curling around her as if to provide herself some kind of comfort.

He really didn’t like rejecting anyone. He had never felt heartbreak because he’d never felt like that towards anyone before but now more than ever he really didn’t want to become an insensitive heartbreaker considering now he’d started feeling something akin to affection, although for a human. If his human were to reject him the way he rejected other mers then he was sure he would never be able to move on from it.

And that’s why he was starting to have a deep respect for the mers who accepted his rejection so calmly and understandingly without breaking down or tearing up in front of him. This mermaid was no different, she had Levi’s respect.

_

There were times when Levi got so bored or lonely that he would go on a random search into the deep waters, away from the caves of mers and down towards the underwater cliff.

There were many stories among mers related to this cliff, mostly to scare the children away from ever coming here. Some said that once upon a time this cliff was above the water and humans used to throw people off it as a punishment for who knows what. Others said that the cliff was a gateway to the deepest, darkest secrets of the ocean that were better left unknown. Another story said that down the cliff lived a terrifying monster with tentacles that knew magic and feasted on mers to become more powerful so that one day it could rule all the oceans.

Another, a much less popular story his Uncle Kenny had once told him when he was a teen, was that many centuries ago a mer lived near this cliff that had quite an obsession with everything related to humans. So they often went up to the surface despite of the risk of being found out by humans because where there was a quiet beach now with almost no humans, all those years ago there were humans that inhabited the area.

The mer used to collect everything that humans threw in the ocean, from utensils to empty bottles and broken pots and buckets. One day while on the surface, the mer had spotted a human and had instantly fallen in love with them. They hadn’t thought twice before they’d revealed themselves to the human and confessed their love to them.

The human was disgusted by the mer’s appearance and very rudely rejected them and even insulted them. Enraged, the mer had used their sharp claws and teeth and had torn the human’s throat out. When the mer had realized what they’d done they’d felt so guilty that they’d torn their chest open and heart out and had killed themselves.

Both of them had died.

Others mers had thrown their bodies down this underwater cliff.

The end.

Levi was pretty sure someone had made that story up to keep mers away from humans so as to not reveal themselves to them, and had somehow ended up warning mers from ever loving anything human related because it would end in heartbreak and guilt and that love would eventually kill you.

What total dogfish-shit.

There was absolutely no evidence of humans previously living in the area nor had anyone ever talked about it. And if the mer had loved the human so much that they’d risked theirs and the whole merfolk’s lives by not thinking twice before confessing their love, then why the fuck had they killed the one they loved in their anger after the human had rejected them?

Levi would have considered believing the story if the mer had killed themselves because of the heartbreak of being rejected, but this was too extreme! He would never even consider hurting his human in any way (the hitting on the nose didn’t count; that was unintentional, he was panicked) and he didn’t even love his human. He just… cared for him and wanted to court him, that was it.

Yes, that was all there was to it. No deeper feelings.

‘ _Lies_ ,’ a small voice whispered to him. Levi mentally told it to fuck off as he looked down the cliff.

Everything was dark down there but Levi could probably sense his way around and not get eaten by a big fish or something if he went down. Maybe he should go down, see for himself if any of those stories were actually true. Maybe he’d find the remains of that mer and that human that were thrown down. Maybe he’d uncover some dark secrets of the ocean. Maybe he’d find the terrifying monster that lived down there.

Or maybe he’d find more mers and creatures down there that were told not to go up just like they were told not to go down. Maybe his mate lived down the cliff and that’s why he hadn’t been able to find them all this time!

In the end, Levi looked down the cliff for another long moment before deciding that today was not going to be the day he would explore the dark abyss that was down there. So he turned around and started swimming away from the edge and up.

Somewhere in his mind, Levi had a feeling that he was going to find his way back towards the cliff sooner or later.

But for the meantime, he didn’t linger on it and instead made up his mind that he was going to go see his human. Three days were enough to make him realize that he really couldn’t live without seeing his human at least once a day.

Levi thought he heard a call from behind him where he had left the cliff’s edge.

_

Maybe the decision of letting his hair grow out wasn’t the best one Levi had made in his life. It was all good as long as he was underwater, his hair flowing along with the flow of the water and his movements. But it was when he was above the surface that he realized how heavy his hair actually was when it was wet and regretted growing it out.

The wet raven locks always got stuck to his face and back like an octopus sticking to his skin and refusing to let go. And believe him, Levi had dealt with that too, many times at that.

But he loved his hair too much to cut it so deal with the wet strands stuck to his skin he had to. Didn’t mean he wasn’t going to internally complain and curse about it.

So moving his hair away from his equally wet face, Levi swam towards the rock he always hid behind.

As always, it was quiet and peaceful and there were no humans roaming around or any signs of them, except for his human’s house a little away from the sea. So maybe his human hadn’t seen what he was. That was a relief.

Or maybe he had seen but decided not to tell anyone else. Seemed too good to be true but the possibility was still there and made Levi giddy. If that was the case then his human was one of those ‘good humans’ other mers talked about.

Levi really hoped his human was a ‘good human’.

As if just by thinking about him he was summoned, Levi watched from behind the rock as his human came out of his house and towards the sea. He hadn’t tied his hair back this time and they were freely flowing in the breeze.

Levi would never admit he felt kind of jealous of his human. He couldn’t be out of water long enough for his hair to dry due to risks of being seen.

Levi watched as his human walked towards the sea, fixed in a trance like he always seemed to be when he watched his human. But he couldn’t help it. His human was just so beautiful and Levi had eyes only for him.

As if to prove it, Levi placed a [shark’s eye shell](https://pin.it/2cI0xeA) on top of the rock he was hiding behind just as his human came near the water and looked around as if searching for something.

Levi tried to see if his human’s nose was okay or not from the last time he’d seen him but as if sensing eyes on him his human suddenly turned around and looked straight in his direction. Levi ducked behind the rock just in time, feeling heat creeping up his neck and cheeks and his heart going wild in his chest at almost being caught.

As his ears picked up on the sound of grains of sand moving underneath his human’s feet that were heading in his direction, Levi quickly dived into the water and swam away, hoping that his human would see the shell he’d put on the rock.

**_ Bonus: _ **

Levi stared down the underwater cliff and into the darkness that held who knows what. His shoulder-length raven hair was tied in a half ponytail and was flowing along with the flow of the water.

Beside him, on the edge of the cliff, was his Uncle Kenny, his black and grey tail flicking from side-to-side as he looked down the cliff in thought.

“So,” Levi started. “You brought me here just to tell me that dogfish-shit story?”

His uncle looked at him and shrugged, “I guess.”

Levi crossed his arms over his chest. “Might I ask why?”

“Eh, no reason. Just remembered it and we were passing by here so I thought I should tell you before I forgot.”

“Why, did you think, telling such kind of a story to a fourteen year old, who doesn’t care about that crap, was a good idea?”

“Wait – you’re fourteen?! I thought you were ten or something!”

“What the fuck? We’ve lived together since I was five, uncle. And why, pray tell, would you tell that kind of a story to a ten year old?!”

“…Why not?”

“Oh my God-!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ocean has so many secrets and mysteries, you know. I wonder what's down there... *eyes the underwater cliff*


	4. Scotch Bonnet: I Can't Stop Thinking About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: shark attack, violence, mentions of blood and maybe slight gore depends on how you look at it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy your reading~

Levi hummed as he effortlessly swam near the seabed with many large rocks in his path. He twirled and turned in the not so bright waters to avoid crashing into a rock. His long raven hair was up in a bun with a [scotch bonnet](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ad/26/6b/ad266bd46ce7f582ef222684b9bc5659.jpg) adorning it, a few strands of it tickling his neck as he swam with the speed and skill that could only be gained after years of familiarity with the surrounding.

Of course, he was familiar with this area. It was where the pearl oysters were found, after all.

He and Isabel came here a couple of times a year for pearl hunting. They would chase each other in the lack of light and hide behind the rocks just to piss each other off. And then they would show each other the pearls they collected and exchange a few if they wanted. It was fun, but Levi would never say that out loud to Isabel. Knowing her, she would become even more mischievous and tease him relentlessly about actually being a softie. It was better to feign indifference than admitting that he liked it.

But this time he was alone. There was no Isabel to accompany him or distract him while he tried to open the oysters with his dagger. No Isabel to catch a random creature lurking around and declaring it as her new companion and having the audacity to name every single one of them ‘Levi’ just to get a rise out of him. One time she had named a puffer fish ‘Levi’ because, “It looks just like you when you are grumpy which is almost always.” (That puffer fish was fucking stupid and ugly, Isabel had no eyes.)

When Levi had told Isabel that he wanted to go pearl hunting she had given him an apologetic smile and at that moment Levi knew even before she’d said anything. She couldn’t come with him because she already had plans with Farlan. Apparently, he’d prepared a surprise for her and she couldn’t turn him down.

That was okay.

Levi knew that they were in the early stages of their courtship, of course they would want to spend as much time as they could together. Especially if they are going to mate. It was important to establish a strong relationship before starting a family.

Levi understood that.

Besides, it wasn’t like Isabel _had_ to go pearl hunting; Farlan was quick to give her everything she desired, he had seen it for himself. Once, Isabel had brought Farlan along with her when they were hanging out to officially introduce him to Levi as her suitor. Safe to say that after a pleasant greeting Levi had proceeded to scare the life out of the poor blond mer with a darkened face and glaring steel-blue eyes as he threatened to do some unspeakable and very violent things to him if he even thought of hurting Isabel. The other merman had looked ready to shit himself if not for Isabel thwacking his head and scolding him for scaring Farlan.

Things were pretty lighthearted after that as if Levi had never worn an expression promising things way worse than death. Farlan wasn’t able to look him in the eyes for more than five seconds after that. Isabel had glared at him but he had just stared blankly at her. He was just looking out for his best friend.

But then any lingering doubts he’d had about Farlan disappeared when Isabel had started talking about hearing a mermaid say that white rocks up on the surface were really pretty. The next day when they were hanging out together, Farlan had approached them and had given Isabel a pretty heart-shaped white rock he’d himself acquired while on the surface just for her.

She hadn’t even said anything about wanting one. She’d just casually told them what she’d heard another mermaid say. But Farlan had understood right away that she wanted a beautiful rock from the surface for herself too. And indeed Isabel had been ecstatic to see that the rock was heart-shaped.

Levi knew then that Farlan was a good choice for Isabel.

Levi also knew then that he wanted someone like that too. Someone who would know right away about what he wanted even if he didn’t say it outright. Someone who cared for him and paid attention to everything he said just because it was him who was talking. Someone who understood him.

Someone who loved him.

Levi picked up an oyster and took out his dagger from where it was tied at his hip to peel it open with much force than necessary. Ah, he was feeling jealous again.

He found two white pearls inside the oyster and took them out, discarding the empty shell without a care. Levi looked down at the white pearls on his palm with a blank face. This vile and disgusting feeling in his chest just wouldn’t go away and leave him alone, would it?

Immediately, his mind drifted off to a certain human who had captured his heart. What was his human doing right now? Did he ever see the shark eye shell he’d left for him on the rock the other day? Did he know that it was him who had put it there?

Did he even know that he existed?

His heart clenched and ached at that thought, an emptiness replacing the vile feeling from earlier in his chest. His tail unconsciously wrapped around him as if to comfort him and Levi let himself imagine that it was his human’s arms comforting him and reassuring him that his feelings weren’t just one-sided.

Why did he have to fall for someone so far out of his reach?

Levi took off the necklace made of a single shell from around his neck and opened it to put the pearls inside. He didn’t want to think about anything. Just watching his human from afar was enough. Just knowing that his human was okay was enough.

Levi tied the necklace around his neck again. Just watching his human as his beauty glowed in the sunset was enough.

_ZOOM_

Levi’s fingers suddenly stopped in their movements and he froze. Suddenly his eyes widened and he dodged out of the way just as sharp big teeth retreated from where his head was earlier.

He whipped his head towards the baby shark closing its mouth and their eyes locked with each other’s as he was frozen still in shock. A chill ran down his spine and upto the end of his tail to the fins. That was too damn close. One second late and his head would’ve been in those terrifying jaws.

How did he not sense it sooner?! Was he really that distracted with his thoughts?

It was as if time seemed to slow down as their eyes met again and the shark lunged for him again. Levi still was in shock and trying to process what was happening but when he saw those jaws just a meter away from him his survival instincts kicked in and his tail swished through the water to swim upwards just as the shark bit nothing but water.

He looked down, still wide-eyed and saw the baby shark chasing after him. He finally snapped out of his shock and his eyes hardened and narrowed as his jaw clenched. He adjusted the dagger in his hand and turned it holding it upside down as he prepared to attack.

The shark lunged for his tail and he moved it at the last moment as he raised his hand and brought the dagger down stabbing the shark right in its eye. Sharkseye! Literally and figuratively.

But it seemed he wasn’t the only one who hit the target as he felt a stinging pain in his tail. He looked down and realized that the damned shark had got his tail in its jaws near his left hip. He gritted his teeth and his eyes watered as the teeth sunk deeper in through his scales. It stung and it hurt, it hurt so much! Shit.

The baby shark was now starting to slowly attempt to shake its head through the dagger still stabbed in one of its eye. Levi realized with a start that it was trying to tear his flesh off him. He had to get out of its grip and fast!

So Levi took his dagger out of the shark’s eye and the blood came out of it mixing with water as the red liquid swirled around him but he didn’t care. Without a waste of even a second he thrust his dagger in its jaw and jerked his hand away cutting the shark’s jaw open.

Blood swirled around him again, his own mixing with it this time as he was free of the shark’s grip on his tail. He hissed as his tail stung and the bloodied and broken scales stuck to each other around the wound. He watched the shark fall down but he didn’t feel safe or out of danger yet. His survival instincts told him to flee, to swim as far away as he could from the danger and this place.

And he listened to his instincts.

Ignoring the stinging pain of his wound and how uncomfortable the broken scales around it felt as they poked the wound he swam up and away from the bloodied shark, not looking back even once.

_

A clawed hand emerged out of the water reflecting the setting sun and gripped the rocks tightly. Levi’s head came out of the surface of the water and he panted, utterly exhausted and out of energy to move much. He was too deep in the waters and he had swum all the way up without stopping or slowing down with an injured and bleeding tail. He heaved himself up with much difficulty and collapsed on top of the rocks.

He tried to get air in his lungs as he panted and his eyes watered as his exhausted body finally registered the extent of damage and pain in his tail. Fuck, it hurt. And it was still bleeding.

He rolled off the rocks and onto the sand as he tried to get used to breathing through his lungs. One of his hands reached down to his wound and plucked out a particularly irritating scale that was bothering him. He looked down at his hand in the warm glow of the sunset to see his once pretty blue scale broken and soaked in red that now painted the sky too.

He threw the scale away and reached down again to take out the other broken scales too. He hissed and bit his bottom lip as one of them got stuck in his flesh. He closed his eyes tightly and pulled it out swiftly in one motion. A gasp escaped his lips and he felt breathless again as he threw away the scale that still had a small chunk of flesh attached to it.

Levi felt dizzy and disoriented now that the adrenaline had worn off and clutched his head to try and focus on his surroundings as his vision got blurry.

Only when smooth strands of hair tangled with his fingers did he realize that his hair was loose now. The bun must have come undone when he was fighting that blasted shark. Even the shell in his hair was missing.

Ah, why was he thinking about such unimportant things while he was injured and in pain? Although his healing was way faster than any other creature he was still suffering. Confusing thing a brain was.

Still no matter how much his brain tried to distract him from the pain there was just something irritating between his broken scales that would poke at his flesh repeatedly and hinder his healing.

He pressed his palm against the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding that had started again because of that annoying thing poking at his flesh. Ugh, just what was inside his wound?!

He huffed breathlessly as he got up to sit on the sand much to the protest of his exhausted body with his hands supporting his upper body and his head hanging down. Tears gathered at the corners of his eyes as the change in position made his wound throb again. He just had to get attacked when he was alone down there for the first time in a while, didn’t he?

_TAP TAP TAP_

Levi raised his head and all the color drained from his face. He sucked in a sharp breath and he immediately choked on it from his shock.

No, this couldn’t be happening! Just how unlucky was this day going to be for him?!

There, in front of him were two feet. Feet…

A human.

Levi ducked down his head as he realized that. His long hair formed a curtain in front of his face as if in a vain attempt to hide him from the human’s eyes. Or maybe to hide the reality that was standing in front of him from his eyes.

How could this be? Why, why now of all times? Why did he have to encounter a human when he was in a vulnerable condition, when he couldn’t fight back?

He clenched his hands in frustration in the sand and that’s when he felt it. The cold and sharp bone that he still had clutched in his hand.

His dagger.

He could fight back, if his body supported him or not was another thing. But he wasn’t going to lose without a fight.

Levi heard the grains of sand crunch as the human crouched down in front of him. This was it. He waited for greedy hands to grab him and try to take him away from his home. He waited for disgusting and selfish words after the human realized just what he had found. He waited for the human to do _something_.

He waited and waited and waited.

The grip on his dagger turned even tighter.

His knuckles were pure white as veins popped in his hand.

He was ready to attack, to take the life of this human if need be.

His eyes hardened at that thought in determination.

He was sure he had stopped breathing in anticipation.

He waited and waited and waited and waited-

His hair moved away from his face and got tucked behind his fin ear. His face was now exposed to the last light of the setting sun as the sky lost its beautiful colors and got darker.

Wait…

His eyes widened in surprise and he subconsciously raised his head. And soon he was being drowned in the endless sea even though he was part fish. He was enchanted and mesmerized at the sight.

The unique blue-green eyes captivated him as they constantly changed color in the light. He swore he even saw specks of gold in there somewhere.

He wouldn’t mind drowning so much if those eyes were what he drowned in.

“Are you okay?”

Levi blinked and snapped out of his trance realizing a bit too late that his mouth was hanging open. He blinked again and his gaze finally focused on the human’s face. Nape-length brown hair flowing in the breeze, tanned skin and a pointed yet weird-looking nose with a faint scratch mark.

If all of that didn’t confirm it, the weird-looking nose sure did. This was his human.

He felt oddly relieved by that fact, but why? It was still a human and Levi didn’t know him. Then why was he not alarmed anymore? Why did his anxious heart calm down at the sight of him? Why was his body not tensed and on guard anymore? Why were his instincts that were just a moment ago screaming at him to kill to survive now quiet?

Why did his death-grip on his dagger loosen?

He gazed in those mesmerizing eyes again and nearly forgot his thoughts as he got lost in them again. He had only seen his human from afar. He had no idea his human possessed such beautiful and otherworldly eyes. If that didn’t make him fall for him more, then his heavenly voice sure did.

“Are you alright? Can you understand me?”

Just who made this man this perfect, were they trying to kill him? Not like he would mind at this point.

Ah, the confusing brain was back again with the weird thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it wasn't already obvious, I really love Eren's eyes. They're just too beautiful for this world.
> 
> To be honest I had actually considered discontinuing this because I just wasn't feeling to write this anymore. But then I decided to just put it on hiatus for a while to think and then I reread what I had already written and I was like, I want to know what happens next and to do that I have to write it. So, no, I am not going to discontinue this fic anytime soon, you're welcome.
> 
> Anyways, happy new year in advance and the next chapter is going to be in Eren's POV so please stay with me.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feedback is greatly appreciated.


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